Fruit slicing apparatus



NOV. 16, 1943. A. KOK 2,334,416

FRUIT SLICING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 8, L941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ALBERT KoK WW4 2 nrroz 5Y3.

Nov) 16, 1943.

A, KOK

FRUIT SLIC ING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1941 INVENTOR. AL saw 7- Kane ATTOENEY'S Patented Nov. 16, 1943 assure Thisinvention relatesto a fruit-slicing apparatus; of a character suitable for 'quarterin'g" and slicing fruit following preliminarytreatmentin which the fruit has been halvedand the pits or cores thereof removed by some known or conventional means.

' The invention is particularly adapted for use Y in quartering orslicing the well-known cling peach a'lthoughthe principle involved will be found useful with or without modificationim reducing other fruit toquarters or slices. For instance', the apparatus has been found usefulin quarteringapples.

It is familiar practice in 'canning 'art to halve and remove the pits of cling peachesby' certain well-known -'or conventional apparatus. The pitting operation usually follows preliminary treatment to remove the fruit skins; "It is also well-known that the cling peach is possessed of an extremely firm texture before being subjected to the'canning process and additionally the'pit cavityresulting from the pitting operation is uniformly Well defined. I Y r The generally accepted practice of reducing'thc halved peaches into quarters is a completely manual operation. That is to say, the operator cuts the halves with a hand knife from stem 'end to apex; While, as maybe expectedjthe'aVertge operator attains'a high degree'ofe'fficiency,=

nevertheless there is a pronounced need for mechanicalmeans whichwill accomplish this same result, tnerebyreducing the cost of this particul lar detailof plant practice and at the same time attain a satisfactory degree of uniformity in'the appearance of thefruit. p I

The present invention contemplates the use 'of the well defined pit cavity in cling peaches 'as an incident to aligning the fruit halves for thesubsequent cutting operation to reduce the fruit into quarter-size. 3 Interms of general inclusionthese objects are attained by the "provision of an ap paratus" 'to receive the fruit halves indiscriminatelyand without regard to alignmentbf the fruit andwhich will then act upon the pit' cavity of the fruit toproperly align it for the subsequent cutting operation. 1 i

These and other objects=of the invention are attainedby provision of the means shown inthe accompanying drawings in which'z; Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through -an apparatus embodying the principles of this invention; I V I I Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus; g f L Figure 3 'is-a sectional view along the lir 1es 3-;---3

ofFigure 4;

Figur e 4'is a plan view of one of the fruit re c'eivi'ng compartments; Figures 5, 6, and '7-are sequential plan views illustrating theshifting of the fruit halves in the alignment thereof; I

Figure 8 is a vertical section along the line 8-8 ofFigure4; v

Figure9 is a modification of the invention useful ins'licingthe fruit into smaller than quarter segments; 1 Figure 10 is a top plan view of a modified form of the fruit aligning and cutting apparatus Figure 11 is aside elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 10;

Figure 12f'is an end elevational view ofthe an paratus of Figure 10; and i j Figure 13 is averti'cal sectional view taken aI ng the line I 3- 43 of Figure 10. a r a In order to utilize the well-definedpit cavity I of a' cling peach half for'purposes of alignment for-further cutting, it isfirst essential that the .fruit sections be deliveredtothe alignment and cutting means in inverted position, that-is to say,

the fruit will be'caused to progress over the sur face of the shaker'table Ill toward its discharge end. Here deliveryof the thus inverted fruit halves to the aligning means'is accomplished by means off the inclined, downwardly converging chute l 3.

The apparatus of this invention receivesthe fruit-halves in this inverted position indiscrim inatelywithrespect to the alignmentof the pit cavities longitudinally of the machine for the cuttingoperation. There is provided an endless conveyor means, generally designated by the'numeral I5, driven by the chains l6 passing over the sprockets i1 and 18' suitably journaled atopp'osite ends of a frame] it The frame I9 is supported onthe legs' 20 for horizontal shaking motion-and a such motion is imparted to the frame 19 and the members carried thereby by means of" aneccentric 22 driven by a motor 23, there being an operative connection between fram I9 and eccentric 22 in the form of a conventional pitman rod 24.

Fruit compartments 28 to receive the fruit halves discharged from the chute I3 are defined by successive links carried between the chains I6. One form which these elements may take is illusa plate member 29 having arms projecting laterally therefrom for suitable connection to the side chains I6. At one end of each of the plates tered, the fruit is discharged from the compart II ments 23 into any sort of receptacle or onto a trated in Figures 3 and 4 wherein there is shown I conveyor (not shown) for transportation to the I forwardly with the conveyor I5, the fruit is moved under the knife 38, the cutting edge of which passes through the slots 36 in the seats 35 and slots 31 in the partition members 30 (see Figure 8) passing through the fruit and thereby effecting a quartering of the fruit halves. When thus quarmeans whereby the nextstep in the, canning process will be completed.

29 there is disposed a partition member 30, which plate 23 upwardly at right angles or by affixing may be formed by simply bending an end of the thereon a separate, vertically disposed pie ce.. An

endless member formed of a plurality 'of' such plates 29 will be divided transversally at regu-' larly spaced intervals with the partition 30 on one. I plate 29 defining the forward end partition of the compartment and the partition 30 on the next succeeding plate defining the rear'end Partition ments 26. This practice will'serve the addedpur pose of doubly insuring properalignmentof the compartments 28 and hence-the fruit halves con tained therein. I I

Fruit cavity seats 35 are secured to theplates 23 and are soarranged thereon as to be medially disposedwithin the compartments 28. These pit seatsifi a fe ovate in shape andtheir longitudinal axes are aligned parallel to the guide bars 32,

Each seat 3 5. is provided with a knife receiving slot; 36. disposed longitudinally of the conveyor I5, Likewise the partition members t ilare slotted as at 37 -to receive'the cuttingledgeof knife; the movement; of, conveyor I5 thereunder;

The knife! is prefer-ably of the rotary type supported on a shaft 33 journaledinan auxiliary frame 40 It may be driven by any source of power, but is here shown as being turned by the chain drive 4! having an operative connection with the shaft of conveyor sprocket I1. I

- It will thus be seen that, when fruit halves 45 are delivered in inverted positionto themachine forming the subject matterhereof by the chute I3, they will fall intothe compartments 23. In some instances, their longitudinal axes will be properly aligned, and the pit cavity will fit neatly I 5, provided by the pitman 24, will cause repeated shifting of the fruit halves with respect tothe seats "35 and, during the course of "travel. of the;

conveyor-t I 5, the fruit will reachproper alignment and settle at the lowest possiblepoint in the compartment, namely, with its cavityon the-seati tfip '(see Figure :7).

A L.fil fl adei f iit e a t e r gre s In Figure 9 there is illustrated an arrangement r whereby the fruit halves may be reduced to a plurality of slices as distinguished from mere quartering. Here a plurality of knives 38a are arranged at different angles and extend downwardly through appropriate slots in the partition members 38 into seats 35 to cut the fruit halves into four slices instead of quarters, as in thepreferred I form of the invention.

I While I haveshown the fruit-slicing; apparatus in Figures 1 and '2 as beingcapable of handling but a single line of fruit sections, use of the invention in a, multiple-line apparatus is contemplated, Such a multiple-line device is illustrated in Figures 10 to 12, inclusive, embodying some [modification of the structure heretofore de- 'scribed.- In this modified form, a plurality of lines of fruit sections 45 are received in inverted position from a suitable-orienting or turn-over device (not shown) moving downwardly therefrom through chutes 56. Each line of fruit passes between a pair of adjustable guide members 5|;

, t will be understood. that, as the fruit halves,

45 are delivered down the chute 50in the'con-e veyor beltj52, only a few of them will have their longitudinalaxes disposed longitudinallyof the conveyor 52 or in alignment for subsequent pro e quar e ns hyr e k i T e, when the cavities of the-fruitareengagedby the seats 5 3 agitation of the fruit will be requiredtov properly seat the fruit as indicated in Figure 7 herein. ,In th-is modified-form of the invention, this -agitatio n -is provided by means of-a-pitman 58 attached to shaker bed 53 and having a suit: able connection with an eccentric 158 and a driven connection with a prime mover such as the motor GI). I The reciprocal vibratory motion, produced by the' pitman ea is transmitted through the frame '56 and thence to the conveyor belt 53. and as; a, result thereof the -fr-uit sections. 45 are caused tote-repeatedly shifted during the-course of forward movement of the belt untilsuch time as the longitud inal axes of the-fruit are in alignyond the end pfconveyorbelt '52 (see Figures- 11 and 13-); and hence 'out o f the path of the seats 53; .A pl ur a-lity of the. knives 5.1, one for :each row of seats 53 and spaced accordingly, are

' mounted'on-agcommonshaftfi I suitably journaled on theextensions :62 of the main frame S3, 'ilhe knives 51 are adapted to be rotated in any; eonventional way such as bymean's of a belt 64 passing over pulley .65 on shaft GI and having a driven connection with motor 60 through the medium of pulley 66 on shaft 61 and belt 68.

A discharge chute 15 is provided for the fruit cut by the knives 51, being supported on the shaker bed 55 in any conventional way, such as by the brackets 16. Projecting inwardly from the receiving edge of the discharge chute and longitudinally of the machine, I provide a plurality of fingers 11. These fingers are arranged one on either side of each knife 51 to define a knife receiving slot and a skidway for the fruit sections being cut thereby. As shownin Figure 13, the forward ends of the fingers, like the forward edges of the knives 51, are set to barely clear the fruit seats 53 carried. by the belt 52.

In the construction just described, fruit'halves properly aligned on the seats 53 (as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 10) are conveyed to the forward cutting edge of the knives 51. The combined bite of the knives 51 and the thrust imparted tov the fruit sections as they move from the belt 52 onto the fingers 11 serves to carry them completely through the cutting operation and over the fingers into the discharge chute 15 from whence they are transported for such sections do not have the balance required to engage a fruit seat 53' and find position thereon during the shaking of the belt. Secondly, fruit sections having a half-pit therein do not have a cavity to engage a fruit seat 53. Such fruit sections are automatically'rejected by the fruit seats 53 and the shaking motion of the belt causes them to move laterally between the rows of seats 53 at which point they remain during travel on belt 52, being eventually discharged between the knives 51 and opposite pairs of fingers associated with each knife. ,A lower discharge chute 18, supported on shaker bed 56 beneath main discharge chute l catches such rejected fruit sections and delivers them to a laterally disposed chute 19 for such disposition of them as may be desired. i I

Thus it will be seen that in addition to uniformly aligning and quartering of the fruit sections, the machine forming the subject matter hereof also serves as an efficient sorting means to exclude from the final product undesirable 'and irregular fruit portions. t

The invention forming the subject matter hereof is useful in speeding up the quartering of fruit sections over known methods and a'ppae ratus and, additionally, produces a wholly uniform product which was not heretofore thought possible through mechanical means.

While I have shown and described two forms which the invention may take, this must be taken for purposes of illustration only as the invention may assume other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

References herein to peach halves must be taken as an example only sincethe apparatus will be. useful in treating sections of other varietiesof pit or core containing fruits such as apricots, apples, pears, and the like.

The invention claimed is:

I 1. A device for reducing fruit sections having a pit or core cavity therein, comprising an endless conveyor, a lineof projections on the conveyor of substantially the configuration of the fruit cavities, means defining a compartment about each projection, means for delivering inverted fruit sections to the compartments, means for imparting a shaker motion to the endless conveyor to settle the fruit sections on the projections and means for cutting the fruit while it is so settled on the said projections.

2. A device for reducing fruit sections having a pit or core cavity therein, comprising an endless conveyor, a plurality of spaced apart lines of projections of substantially the configuration of the fruit cavities, extending longitudinally of the conveyor, means for delivering fruitsections in alignment for engagement of the fruit cavities with the projections on the conveyor, means for imparting a shaker motion to the endless conveyor, and means for cutting the fruit as it leaves the projectionson the conveyor.

3. A device for reducing fruit sections having a pit or core cavity therein, comprising an endless conveyor, a plurality of spaced apart lines of projections of substantially the configuration of the fruit cavities, extending longitudinally of the conveyor, means for delivering fruit sections in alignment for engagement of the fruit'cavitieswith the lines of projections, means for imapart lines of projections of substantially the configuration of the fruit cavities, extending 1ongitudinally of the conveyor, a plurality of knives disposed at the discharge end of the endless conveyor each aligned with a line of projections and a fruit skidway arranged under each knife.

)5.- A device for reducing fruit sections having a pit or core cavity therein, comprising a shaker bed, a supporting frame therefor, means for imparting motion to the shaker bed, an endless conveyor on the shaker bed, a plurality of spaced apart lines of projections of substantially the configuration of the fruit cavities, extending longitudinally of the conveyor, a plurality of knives disposed at the discharge end of the endless conveyor each aligned with a line of projectionsa fruit skidway under each knife, a discharge chute for the fruit sections acted upon'by the knives and passing over the skidway, and a discharge 

